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Pianist Lanz introduces here a major new serious work: a six-movement suite utilizing a 35-piece orchestra that declares his hope for a "World at Peace." But in a surprising move, Lanz begins the album with a more lighthearted selection of piano pop tunes. As produced by Hugh (Sting, Phil Collins) Padgham, tracks like "Chasing Aphrodite" and the title song are slick, sophisticated and clearly aimed at his core new age audience. But after this appetizer, Lanz seats himself at the piano across from a full orchestra and serves up the main meal, initiating his message of worldwide tranquility with "Declaration Overture." This motif of rebirth and abundance is detailed in five further orchestral pieces, all of which feature inspired solo piano parts, especially on "Gaia: Goddess Reborn." Lanz returns to his new age roots by concluding this quirky outing with the ethereal, mellow "The Visitor," which was inspired, he says, by a presence "like a true guardian angel which for me tied together all the elements of the album." INSTRUMENTATION: piano, keyboards, guitars, flute, piccolo, Uilleann pipes, violin, percussion, drums and full orchestra

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Spielberg's sonorous Steinway piano has soothed listeners into a ruminative state of relaxation on seven previous albums. On this new outing, she turns her attention to those timeless tunes heard in childhood, treating them as delicious daydreams through artful arrangements of exquisite beauty. Familiar songs like "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music and "The Inch Worm" from Hans Christian Andersen are given inspired instrumental treatments alongside more modern selections like "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and "You Are So Beautiful." But it is the gloriously melancholic traditional tune, "The Water is Wide," that is most memorable here; normally dependent upon a soul-searing vocal line for its undeniable impact, Spielberg's intriguing arrangement veers off into new directions, yet loses none of the original's heart-wringing sentiment. Another lovely lullaby is "Lavender Blue" from the movie Dumbo; rarely recorded, it has a happy, yet healing, ambience that never fails to bring sweet smiles. INSTRUMENTATION: solo piano

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A decade after its ground-breaking debut, flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert and engineer Gary Lyons have remixed and remastered this now-classic album for a fresh, new look at a style that is more popular than ever. With the rhythm section parts being stripped down and laid back a bit, the admirable suppleness and subtlety of the solos can be more readily appreciated. True, the overall tone is softer, but no less appealing. Comparing the two versions, the original now comes off a bit too brisk, with several outstanding lead lines being buried amongst the lavish layers. But perhaps the greatest joy here is the inclusion of five tracks that didn't make the original cut. Interspersed through the original running order, they seem to complete the recording, giving it a bit more shape, balance and depth. Of these, "Lonely Hours" - a darkly shaded piece of midnight mood music - and "Morning Sky," with its fascinating percussive syncopation during the intro, are best. INSTRUMENTATION: guitars, percussion, drums

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Taking center stage during Billy Idol's '80s reign, guitarist Stevens wowed audiences with his incendiary six-string solo on "White Wedding" and admirable ability to mitigate an instrumental scream into a wistful sigh on "Eyes Without a Face." Then, he dropped below pop chart radar. But this consummate composer was wood-shedding a new sound that melds the verve of metal and passion of classic Spanish melodies with cutting edge electronic rhythms. The result is the whimsically named FLAMENCO A GO-GO, on which Stevens doesn't just play arpeggios on nylon-string guitar, he makes the instrument whine, wail and warble with such flagrant abandon that one's jaw drops in uncomprehending yet ecstatic delight. When his nimble fingers run rampant along the neck during the title tune's climatic solo section, notes of escalating pitch resound at breakneck pace until it seems the instrumental will break under the strain. But for all his dynamic digital dexterity, Stevens' emotional depth is first and foremost in these compositions; each song is filled with fun moments, yet displays a deeply soulful center. You've never heard acoustic guitar like this before! INSTRUMENTATION: acoustic guitar, electronics, drum loops

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Truth, Beauty and Love (yes, all with capitalization) find a mesmerizing Mediterranean motif on this unusual, appealing outing that draws its major influences from Parisian café society and Italian arias. Better known for back-up band status with guitar legend Al Di Meola and divas Sophie B. Hawkins and Sarah Brightman, piano-man Tennyson weaves together an electric, if eclectic, amalgam of musical vignettes that veer from jazz to classical to 19th century pop and back again. What unites these disparate elements is an unfettered sense of joie de vivre, an eagerness to embrace life to the fullest. Even the cool, Bartok-meets-the-Beatniks groove of "Fortunato" cannot resist a passionate middle section before easing out to an admittedly intellectual ending. But it is the ear candy, accordion-like accents on "Citta Vecchia" and the gloriously swank "Milonga Sinistra" that appeal to the senses most; the latter's heady blend of cheap whiskey, talcummed flesh and Gauloise smoke is the best invitation to walk on the wild side since Lou Reed's seminal statement. INSTRUMENTATON: piano, bass, percussion, bandoneon, violin, viola, cello

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Opera Zone is a shared artistic collaboration between Alan Douglas (producer of Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus), Bill Laswell (mix translator of music by Miles Davis and Bob Marley), and noted jazz players Karl Berger and Graham Haynes who, individually, represent the best of future-forward fusion. So when they united their adventurous ears towards redefining classical opera, you can be assured the result is exotic, elegant and a soundprint for tomorrow's music. Sensuous, sonorous, soulful and dreamlike; their unique sound is all this and more. Listening to the impressionistic, instrumental arrangements of favorite arias reveals jazzy solos, deeply ethereal ambience and lively world rhythms that speak to the soul on a deep and profoundly emotional level. Moving cornet and flugelhorn lead lines replace the stereotypical sopranos and tenors, and are supported by lush, orchestral textures and percussion instruments native to Africa, South American and India for a radically new style of music. The timeless compositions of Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti and Saint-Saens have never sounded better! INSTRUMENTATION: cornet, flugelhorn, saxophone, keyboards, acoustic bass, flutes, French horns, violins, violas, cello

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Featured on Oprah and endorsed by Deepak Chopra, feng shui expert Linn presents bold and visionary methods - including this new music with booklet - that create a potent system of arranging a home or office environment so that it is supportive and harmonious to those moving within it. For thousands of years, people in the Far East have used feng shui (pronounced fung schway) to improve their health, careers, relationships and prosperity. On FENG SHUI, Linn and Chilean-born multi-instrumentalist Midori, create blissful, beautiful music that integrates these timeless techniques to transform surroundings into a more comfortable space. Under Linn's direction, Midori weaves ethnic Asian melodies and rhythms with contemporary sound textures, integrating over 26 instruments so just the perfect transformative tone is achieved. Listening, one feels a subtle cleansing sensation, as if all the bad vibes built up over time are dissolving as the music plays. Invisible though it may be, change is occurring as the music balances the room components, shifting the universal life energy and leaving one able to move more freely, breathe deeper and feel refreshed. INSTRUMENTATION: flutes, strings, keyboards, percussion

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The ancient Asian athletic discipline of tai chi is a way of moving universal life energy inside the body, and this album is the first-ever music specifically composed to benefit its practice. "I use music when performing Tai Chi," notes master teacher, Dr. Paul Lam. "It is essential in creating a harmonious atmosphere for practicing the precise movements and keeping them fluid. For many people, the right music can help steer the mind to focus better, helping to improve performance and deepening tai chi's essential tranquility." From Sun style to Qigong exercises, the melodic instrumentals created by Llewellyn in partnership with Dr. Lam are paced and arranged so that people with arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and heart disease -- as well as those looking to relieve stress and improve overall fitness -- can concentrate more easily on the linked, balletic movements and enjoy a more beneficial workout. When played after practice, the pretty music reinforces the sense of inner balance and serenity developed during the movements; it is also suitable for bodywork, meditation and reverie. INSTRUMENTATION: chimes, bells, flutes, strings, keyboards, percussion, drums

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